Help please injured ankle and leaving in 3 days

[M2DD's]

Gosh I don't even know where to start:
I severly twisted my ankel last wk pretty bad and Can't even walk on it yet. The dr gave me a lace up brace but its hurts more when I where it. My problem is I leave for WDW on tuesday with my 2 girls alone. They are 4 1/2 and 7 1/2. I have no family/friend that can go with me and I have no idea what I'm going to do. I tried to cancel my trip but I was unsuccessful at getting my airfare money back. I would loose over 1000K to back out now. Plus the disappointment from my kids. I have cried over this for days and now I need a plan. My back up plan is to rent an ECV through an off site company. My Older DD would walk next to me and my younger one can sit in my lap. But what about the buses and loading areas. Is this possable to do or should I just cancel and loose all that money?
Any advise or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

The primary plan should involve an ECV from off-site.

Do you have any friends or relatives who would be able to "lend" you a teenage daughter who could somehow meet you at the airport (or at Disney World itself) where they could pick up all or part of the air fare and tickets? It would not cost any extra to have the 4th person in the room. A lot of families might want to "get rid" of a teenager for a week and I can't think of any that would not want a trip to WDW.

A big problem is that ECVs are not designed for two people to ride, and they can be very unsafe because if the child gets excited and pushes on the control lever the ECV (with passengers) could crash into somebody or a wall or run off a curb and overturn.

As far as buses and other loading area, the children can be with you when loading onto a bus, especially if there is a ramp. Although technically the drivers are not allowed to provide physical assistance, I think the kids would not have any prolbem.

You may have to spend less time on ride-type attractions than shows, and the 4½ DD can sit on the ground when you are on lines (you'd be surprised where and how little children can nap). You may have to spend a little less time in the parks that you were originally thinking.

If you have not yet done so, if you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information, including where people rent ECVs in Post #2 and dealing bith buses and ECVs in Post #4.

Or, if you want an easier route, click on the link in my signature.

 

[M2DD's]

Thank you Cheshire Figment I have been looking at the links this afternoon.
I figure I will take it slow this time and even if were only able to do a few rides a day its better than no rides at all. I wish I had someone to go with me and have made several calls but nobody can on such short notice.
Thanks for taking the time to answer me.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

How good a walker is your 4 1/2 year old? If you can't do CF's suggestion of 'borrowing' a teenager, one suggestion could be to have the two girls walk together beside you. Obviously, if you were doing this, you couldn't do 'commando' touring, but you could probably go from rope drop (I'm guessing your girls are still at the age when they wake up fairly early?) to late morning, have an early lunch in the park, then go back to the hotel for a calm afternoon. If you want to catch the evening entertainment, you could take an extra gentle day, maybe at the water parks, have a nice easy afternoon at the hotel, then go back out to see the fireworks. I know that this idea may not be the ideal, as you probably won't get to do every ride, but it will hopefully allow you and your girls to have a good time. Just make sure you resist the temptation to do 'just one more ride', because this could land you with two tired and grumpy girls! Never a good thing!

With the above plan, you would probably have to rely on your older daughter to keep an eye on her sister. Do you reckon she would be able to do this? If you go with this plan, it might be nice to give her a special 'thank you' evening, with just you and her. Disney offers in-room baby sitting, so you could get someone to look after your little one, while you and your older daughter do some things that might not appeal to her sister. Another option would be to get your little one into one of the kids clubs that Disney offers, during the day.

EDIT: I just thought, I seem to remember talk here about outside companies who can provide an in-park baby sitter. If you could find, book and afford this, it could be a real help, even if you only use them for a few days, when you'll have the most walking (such as EPCOT and Animal Kingdom)

I know it seems like a daunting task at the moment, but try not to panic too much; Disney will look after you . Just warn your girls that you won't be able to run around the parks after them, that it's going to be a fairly relaxed holiday, and that you need them both to be big girls and help you as much as possible. Some form of bribery, such as a sticker chart, might help keep them sweet (hey, it worked on my sister and me when we were little). You might also want to look into getting child reigns for your younger one, if you don't have them already, to make it easier to keep track of her.

One more thought, as you won't be able to do everything, it might be a good idea to find out which things your girls really, really want to do before you leave. That way, not only do they feel involved in the planning, but you will hopefully avoid any tears at the end of the trip, because one of them didn't get to go on a certain ride, or see a certain show.

I hope this helps a bit, and do feel free to come back and ask any more questions you might have. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip with your girls, however much or little you do on the trip, and that's the most important thing in the end

 

[M2DD's]

How good a walker is your 4 1/2 year old? If you can't do CF's suggestion of 'borrowing' a teenager, one suggestion could be to have the two girls walk together beside you. Obviously, if you were doing this, you couldn't do 'commando' touring, but you could probably go from rope drop (I'm guessing your girls are still at the age when they wake up fairly early?) to late morning, have an early lunch in the park, then go back to the hotel for a calm afternoon. If you want to catch the evening entertainment, you could take an extra gentle day, maybe at the water parks, have a nice easy afternoon at the hotel, then go back out to see the fireworks. I know that this idea may not be the ideal, as you probably won't get to do every ride, but it will hopefully allow you and your girls to have a good time. Just make sure you resist the temptation to do 'just one more ride', because this could land you with two tired and grumpy girls! Never a good thing!

With the above plan, you would probably have to rely on your older daughter to keep an eye on her sister. Do you reckon she would be able to do this? If you go with this plan, it might be nice to give her a special 'thank you' evening, with just you and her. Disney offers in-room baby sitting, so you could get someone to look after your little one, while you and your older daughter do some things that might not appeal to her sister. Another option would be to get your little one into one of the kids clubs that Disney offers, during the day.

EDIT: I just thought, I seem to remember talk here about outside companies who can provide an in-park baby sitter. If you could find, book and afford this, it could be a real help, even if you only use them for a few days, when you'll have the most walking (such as EPCOT and Animal Kingdom)

I know it seems like a daunting task at the moment, but try not to panic too much; Disney will look after you . Just warn your girls that you won't be able to run around the parks after them, that it's going to be a fairly relaxed holiday, and that you need them both to be big girls and help you as much as possible. Some form of bribery, such as a sticker chart, might help keep them sweet (hey, it worked on my sister and me when we were little). You might also want to look into getting child reigns for your younger one, if you don't have them already, to make it easier to keep track of her.

One more thought, as you won't be able to do everything, it might be a good idea to find out which things your girls really, really want to do before you leave. That way, not only do they feel involved in the planning, but you will hopefully avoid any tears at the end of the trip, because one of them didn't get to go on a certain ride, or see a certain show.

I hope this helps a bit, and do feel free to come back and ask any more questions you might have. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip with your girls, however much or little you do on the trip, and that's the most important thing in the end

Thanks for your kind words and encouragment

My older DD is almost 8 and has been doing alot around the house to help me out including the laundry and packing. She also has been making my other DD brkfast(cereal) and lunch(sandwiches) And has been rewarded with $$ for our trip. I know both my girls will help out and stay close to me.
We are very blessed that we were just there in May with DH for 2 wks and our going with family in November and over Easter of 09. SO they will have plenty of times to get the rides they like done over those trips. I thought we can spend most of our time watching the shows and parades and anything eles that allows us to sit. I thought I would just use FP on a few of the rides.The sadest part has been the other day my older DD said to me"you use to be so happy about our trip until you hurt your ankle and now all you can do is cry" It broke my heart to hear.
To bad disney couldn't loan me a CM to help out

 

[Belle1962]

QUOTE=M2DD's;26639474]our going with family in November and over Easter of 09. SO they will have plenty of times to get the rides they like done over those trips.

[/QUOTE]
Could you get the airline to credit these tickets or change these tickets to those flights? If you only have to pay a $75 fee that may be worth it than to go, and be disappointed or frustraed. Just a thought.

The sadest part has been the other day my older DD said to me"you use to be so happy about our trip until you hurt your ankle and now all you can do is cry" It broke my heart to hear.

To bad disney couldn't loan me a CM to help out[/QUOTE

Maybe one of the college kids down there on the CP would have some free time and you could pay them to be a mother's helper of sorts? Maybe check the College Board here. Who knows?????

My older DD is almost 8 and has been doing alot around the house to help me out including the laundry and packing. She also has been making my other DD brkfast(cereal) and lunch(sandwiches) And has been rewarded with $$ for our trip.

What a wonderful daughter you are raising. You should be very proud of her!!!!!

 

[mechurchlady]

You can do the trip. At the bus your 8 year old could easily get on without your help and take the little one with her. CMs and even strangers are very helpful in parks. If you are afraid of the little one running off then you can get a leash and harness but do trust your kids and go have fun.

For me if I change my trip to San Antonio it could cost $150 on a $220 airfare. They get their money anyway they can.

 

[SueM in MN]

Besides the safety of a child on an ECV, most of the companies have a rental agreement you sign that says you will not allow anyone under the age of 18 ride on the scooter and that only one person can be on it.

Another possibility that has not been mentioned would be to see if there is a medical equipment company near you where you could try out canes. A cane that fits you might take enough stress/weight off your foot that you would be able to walk (not a commando trip, but you sound like you are not planning one of those anyway). Another thing to check into would be a 'knee walker'. If you can rent one locally, you would be able to bring it onto the plane at no cost and it would not count as baggage or carry on (it would possibly fit in the cupboard/closet).

Also check with the doctor's office about the brace. It should not hurt more when you wear it. Perhaps it is not the right size, maybe it is laced too tight or maybe it is not exactly in the right place.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Thanks for your kind words and encouragment

My older DD is almost 8 and has been doing alot around the house to help me out including the laundry and packing. She also has been making my other DD brkfast(cereal) and lunch(sandwiches) And has been rewarded with $$ for our trip. I know both my girls will help out and stay close to me.
We are very blessed that we were just there in May with DH for 2 wks and our going with family in November and over Easter of 09. SO they will have plenty of times to get the rides they like done over those trips. I thought we can spend most of our time watching the shows and parades and anything eles that allows us to sit. I thought I would just use FP on a few of the rides.The sadest part has been the other day my older DD said to me"you use to be so happy about our trip until you hurt your ankle and now all you can do is cry" It broke my heart to hear.
To bad disney couldn't loan me a CM to help out

It sounds like you have two lovely little girls there, and I think you guys are going to have a great trip . It's good to hear that this isn't your only trip in the foreseeable future, and your touring plans sound like they're spot on!

I don't know if you've found the information on wheelchair viewing areas for parades, but just in case you haven't, I'll give you a quick run-down. At every park there are viewing areas for wheelchair users along the parade route. They are marked with a 'P' and a wheelchair symbol. They also have viewing areas in EPCOT for Illuminations (marked with an 'I' and a wheelchair). If you use an ECV, you won't need any special pass or doctor's letter, just turn up at the viewing area, and the CM will let you in. These areas can fill up just as quickly as the rest of the parade viewing, if not quicker, so don't leave it until the last minute to grab a spot. In MK, the viewing area in Liberty Square is my favourite, as it's shady and has a place for the rest of your party to sit.

I know it's a lot easier said than done, but try not to worry about this holiday . I know it's a scary prospect doing Disney in a completely different way than you're used to, but it is still a Disney holiday. It sounds like your girls can be relied upon to help out, and you seem to have a good outlook on how to handle the trip.

Maybe this could be seen as a good opportunity to do the bits of Disney that it is so easy to miss, in the whirlwind of a 'normal' (whatever that is) trip. Spend some time sitting outside a cafe with an ice cream, people watching; explore your resort, and all the pools and playgrounds it has to offer; go visit some of the other hotels, using the bus service to get around if it's a bigger place (like FW of CBR); go and watch the shows that you normally miss; do some of your favourite rides three times in a row; eat a leisurely meal at a sit-down restaurant once in a while, in stead of grabbing a CS meal and running. Try and find the best things about this holiday, like spending time with your two lovely girls, and soon you'll be smiling about the trip again!